A leading reconstructive surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals found himself living every doctor's worst fear when he diagnosed his teenage son with a rare and aggressive cancer last year.

Professor Dominic Furniss, from Cumnor, was on a trip with his family last October when his son, Jasper, then aged 17, asked him to look at a lump on his thigh.

Mr Furniss, who works at one of the UK's largest sarcoma treatment centres, said: "It was the worst moment of my life.

Jasper and his father, Dominic FurnissJasper and his father, Dominic Furniss (Image: Sarcoma UK)

"It was a 7cm lump, looking like a large egg sticking out of his thigh, and it was deep.

"Immediately, I knew it was almost certainly sarcoma. I can’t remember what I said to Jasper, but I then went into the bathroom and burst into tears.”

Mr Furniss texted his colleague who arranged a scan and biopsy for later that week, leading to a diagnosis of myxoid liposarcoma.

Jasper had successful surgery to remove the tumour four weeks and two days after the lump was found. Now in remission, he and his family have set their sights on giving back to the charity that supported them.

Dominic Furniss with his son JasperDominic Furniss with his son Jasper (Image: Sarcoma UK)

He said: “I really appreciate what Dad did for me and how lucky I was to be diagnosed and treated so quickly.

"It was a tough few months, trying to do my A levels as well, but I prioritised my health and getting back my fitness."

His mother, Jenny, said: "The period after Jasper's lump was found was an absolute whirlwind. It felt totally overwhelming.

“It was very strange for Dom to swap places in the consulting room, from the ‘doctor side’ to the ‘parent side’."

JasperJasper (Image: Sarcoma UK)

While Mr Furniss was already an expert in sarcoma, Jenny was thankful for resources available on the website of charity Sarcoma UK to help her make sense of what had happened.

She added: “For all of Dom’s knowledge, there were still gaps; things we didn’t know, didn’t understand and didn’t appreciate."

Jasper said the charity's website was "really useful and helped me".

Mr Furniss added: "I’m unbelievably grateful for having such amazing colleagues and I’m so grateful for the training I had which meant I knew what had to be done when I spotted Jasper’s sarcoma.

"The quicker people can get treatment when they find a lump, the better."

The Furniss family has now committed to endorsing the 'Don’t Delay' message of this year’s Sarcoma Awareness Month, which took place in July.

They will take part in a cycle ride to raise funds for Sarcoma UK from their hometown of Oxford to Barcelona from August 27 to September 6.